A few years ago, J casually said to me, “You know, you should really make your blog more mobile device friendly.”
“But that might ruin the design! And you know how hard I worked on it. Besides, less than 1% of my visitors are using a mobile device when they browse on over.”
Did I mention that J is a software engineer and tester? That he not only once worked for the big G, he is always up-to-date (and most of the times, ahead of the curve) on the latest web trends and companies — e.g., signed up for Yelp and Twitter long before anyone else I knew even heard of them, correctly predicting that they would “blow up” — and is the go-to guy in our social circle for any web/tech-related questions?
So of course, being his wife, I completely ignored his advice. 😉
Flash forward to now. “Responsive” is currently the hottest word in web design. Web Design Ledger predicts:
Eventually, we’ll all stop talking about responsive web design – not because it will go away, but because it will become what’s expected.
And wouldn’t you know it? Currently, about 20% of my blog’s visitors hail from a mobile device.
So what does J do when I tell him that I’m thinking about a more responsive design for my blog?
“Responsive web design? Isn’t that an old concept?” 
I hate it when he’s right.
How responsive web design should work — see how the content shifts
depending on what type of device you are using to view the website?
(image source)
So, in order to keep this blog current and more user-friendly to those who visit using tablets or mobile phones —
And because I’m already hankering for a change after just seven months with this current design —
I have decided that a site redesign is in order.
I want to get this done as quickly as possible (i.e., within the next month) before J’s parents go back to Hong Kong and I will have no help with the two kids.
And here is where YOU, the readers, can help!
There are currently two logistics to this redesign I have not yet quite figured out.
The first: I am seriously thinking of displaying partial posts for the front page of the blog. The reason for this is because my posts tend to be long, and/or feature large or multiple images which significantly slow down the loading speed of the site. Having partial posts on the front page will not only ensure faster loading time, but will also allow users to more easily scroll down and see additional content.
However, I personally hate it when the sites I visit do this because I would much rather see everything on one page.
What do you think? Do you prefer partial posts on the
front page, or full posts as I have now? Please vote below!
(Please keep in mind that my RSS feeds will not be affected by this change. Subscribers will still be able to see full posts when reading from Google Reader or other RSS feed aggregators.)
[poll id=”3″]
The second issue involves the logo. Although I have extensive experience with helping others with their logos and branding, designing a logo is not my strong suit. And I strongly believe that a good logo is important to any brand.
I also believe that a good logo can help me with the redesign of this site by providing a certain “look and feel” and pointing me in the right direction.
So I have decided to make the investment by hiring someone to design a new logo for Geek in Heels.
I have already posted an ad on oDesk, but I was wondering..
Are you, or someone you know, interested in
designing a logo for Geek in Heels?
Since I am short on cash, I can only pay the designer $100 USD. However, I can also offer on top of that a full year’s 160×100 or 160×200 (your choice) sidebar banner ad for FREE. You can look at my site stats on my sponsorships page.
My only requirements are that the applicants should have examples of logos they have designed in the past, and that the final logo should be provided to me in EPS format.
If you are interested, please leave a comment to this post, or shoot me a message via my contact form.
As always, thanks for reading, and I can’t wait to unveil to my readers my new logo and site redesign!
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the 
Hey there! I am a fan on your facebook page. I love reading your posts and getting a laugh everyday. With that being said, I would love the opportunity to design your logo. I’m a graphic and web designer, I have a lot of experience with logos and branding. I don’t have all of my logos on my website, but I can send you a logo sheet so you can see more of my work in depth. If you’d like to see it give me a shout and let me know where to send it. In addition to my website you can check out my facebook page, I actually have a bunch of logos on there that I’ve done. http://www.facebook.com/Creativegeniusdesign
I have always loved your site design and logo. I’m super excited to see what you come up with. However you change it, I’ll still read 🙂
I am not particularly tech saavy, but is it possible to have the most recent post displayed in full, and have all the older posts as partials?
I think regular readers would probably be up to date and be most interested in the newest post, so you could just have that show up in full, and have the others as partials.
That’s certainly possible with a bit more work, and I have considered it as a nice compromise. However, I decided to keep the option off the table for the time being so that I can see which style is more preferred. 🙂 I will continue to keep it in mind if the votes do not show one STRONG preference over another.
I have to admit I read you blog (like most) on my google reader and don’t click over to the actual site unless I want to comment or it’s something good. I hardly ever see most blogs designs. That’s probably bad but I’m being honest.
I will be honest, this is one of the first times I have been to your actual blog page! I always read via my google reader! I voted for full posts but as long as the Rss isn’t affected it doesn’t really bother me 🙂 good luck with the re design!!
Hi! My cousin is an avid reader of your blog and she turned my attention this way with your post today. I’m am an illustrator and I work at an ad agency. I understand (from experience) how hard it can be to brand yourself and I’d love to help. More than that, I’m a nice guy and someone you can trust to see you through the process. From what I’ve seen of your blog so far, I think it would be a pleasure to work with you.
You can see my portfolio at the above website. I believe there is also a resume posted there as well.
-LO
Personally, I hate reading blogs on my iPhone – I click on links thru TweetBot and immediately send them to my Read It Later page to check out when I’m home. But maybe that’s because most blogs aren’t mobile friendly? So anyway, I voted full post because I am a laptop reader all the way!
You didn’t ask this question, but could you please put “older post” and “newer post” buttons on the individual post pages? That’s been bugging me for a while.
I second the want of having a previous and next button on the individual posts. Not having this actually forces me away from the site to go back to my google reader to be able to find the next post to read.
I have some friends who have run a contest on 48hourslogo to get logos. You set what you are willing to pay, describe what you want and designers complete different designs and you pick your favorite. I’m pretty sure it cost them about $100.
i never knew such a site existed! Thank you so much — I’ll definitely check them out!
I understand why you want partial posts for the redesign, and that sounds sensible, but I am like you, and I prefer full!
Good luck on this! I’m sure it will turn out awesome!
I’ve struggled with this too, but I prefer full posts, so I’m leaving it as such… for now 🙂
Can’t wait to see the new look!
As for a mobile site, have you considered a WP Plugin instead?
Check out this one: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-mobile-pack/